Have you ever been hungry? I am not talking about the 'I don't have time to eat' kind of hungry, or 'I forgot to pack myself some food' hungry. I am talking about truly, truly hungry.
No refrigerator and cupboards packed with food. No fast food place close by and money in your pocket to purchase the food. No grocery store on the way to where ever you are going.
I have never been that hungry. And because God allowed me to be born in this country, I probably never will ever be that hungry.
But tonight, I am a little bit hungry. All we had for dinner was rice and beans. Not a lot, but it was dinner.
Our family has decided to take on a challenge. A challenge to make a difference. In his book, "A Place at the Table", Chris Seay says 'as Christians who are called to love the least of these, we need to realize that poverty is not just a problem, it is our problem.' Chris Seay is challenging those who read his book to a fast of 40 days. Not just any fast, but where you take what you would have spent on food for your own family and give it to help those in extreme poverty.
After a family discussion, we have made a pledge to eat rice and beans once a week for dinner. Nothing fancy, just rice and beans. With the money we would have spent on additional food for this dinner, we will be purchasing Water of Life systems from Compassion.
"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.' " - Matthew 25:37 - 40 (The Message)
Will we be making a big difference? Maybe, maybe not. But it will be a big difference for each one of those families who will be able to provide their family with clean, safe drinking water. This is something I can definitely be thankful to God for.